Suzie Ungerleider has come a long way, baby -- and she has the Aeroplan miles to prove it.
"I've got Elite status, man," laughs the 32-year-old singer-songwriter, better known to roots-music fans as Oh Susanna. "In the last year I've been to England several times, along with Australia, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, France and Amsterdam. Oh, and the United States, of course. I went to California and I went to Florida and back."
Credit Ungerleider's road-dog schedule, at least in part, to the global popularity of Americana and Appalachian music, as evinced by the commercial and critical success of albums like O Brother, Where Art Thou? But Oh Susanna's growing popularity is also a reflection of her musical evolution. After debuting with a sparse, gothic sound reminiscent of Gillian Welch, Ungerleider moved toward a poppier, melodic frame of mind on last year's Sleepy Little Sailor album.
As for where she's headed next, well, that's still up to her muse -- and Susanna's tends to be particularly fickle.
"I actually have to trick it," she says. "I can't sit down and say, 'Now I want to write a song.' Instead, I actually have to pretend I'm not trying to write a song. I have to act like I hate music and I'm not into it at all and then I can sneak up on it and surprise it then the inspiration comes."
A few surprises might also be in store at her performance tonight at the West End Cultural Centre -- her first local performance since last summer's Muddy Rivers festival, it will also be her first local show with her band.
"There's me, Bazil Donovan from Blue Rodeo on bass, Joel Anderson on drums -- he's played with the Skydiggers -- and Jim Bryson on guitar, who's also gonna open the show. These are my guys, and I've never been able to bring them before.
"This will definitely be a more rockin' show," she says. "It's not rock in the way you might think, but then again, we might surprise you. We did Hit Me With Your Best Shot the other night and we were pretty true to the Pat Benatar original. And we played a rip-roaring version of Honky Tonk Women. So I am capable of rocking."
Like we said, she's come a long way.
